New York New Belfast 2024

As senior vice president for development and alumni affairs, Alan J. Kelly is responsible for all aspects of University fundraising and development, leadership recruitment and engagement, prospect research and cultivation and fundraising events.  Prior to joining Hofstra, Mr. Kelly was employed by Community Counseling Service (CCS), fundraising consultants, since 1997, serving most recently as operational vice president of CCS. In the course of his career, Mr. Kelly has provided professional counsel to dozens of clients in the areas of higher education, and religious and health organizations, raising more than $850 million. He has conducted capital campaigns, major gift strategy solicitation programs, cultivation events and leadership training and most recently oversaw Hofstra’s two Capital Campaigns raising $113M and $232M respectively.  Recently, Hofstra secured its largest gift ever for undergraduate education, a $35 million scholarship endowment for the Frank G. Zarb School of Business.

Originally from Dublin, Ireland, Alan came to the United states in 1992.  Mr. Kelly is a Redington Scholarship graduate of the University of Scranton, with a degree in history and minors in English and theology and a MA in Marketing from Hofstra University.  He has served on numerous Boards and committees for local and Long Island based not for profit organizations.  Alan was recognized with a “40 under 40” award in 2008 and in 2010 he received the AFP Long Island Fundraising Executive of the Year.  He currently resides in Lynbrook, NY with his wife Susan and their four daughters.

Alison has responsibility for leading Tourism Ireland’s Marketing Strategy and Operations in the US, Canada & Australia. In June 2017, Alison also assumed responsibility for Tourism Ireland’s operations in Australia/New Zealand. She also serves as Chair of the European Travel Commission (ETC), USA Chapter since 2017. ETC is the non-profit organisation responsible for the promotion of Destination Europe as the worldwide number one tourist destination in third markets.

Andrew was appointed to his US Diplomatic Post in November 2019. He joined the Northern Ireland Civil Service in 1988 and the Senior Civil Service in 2000. His previous diplomatic post was as Head of the Office of the Northern Ireland Executive in Brussels from 2015 until November 2019, where a major priority related to the particular challenge of Brexit for the region of Northern Ireland.

From 2010 he was responsible for a programme of major reform to the delivery of EU Common Agricultural Policy grants and subsidies to farmers in the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in Northern Ireland. As a result of this work, the exposure of the Department to financial correction by the European Commission was significantly reduced.

From 2005 until 2010, he was responsible for directing the development of population health policy in Northern Ireland, including the introduction of legislation to ban smoking in enclosed public spaces and the preparations for pandemic influenza.

From 2000 to 2004 he was Secretary to the Parades Commission with responsibility for providing senior advice to the Commission on the discharge of its duties and powers in relation to issues concerning human rights and the promotion of mediation and peacebuilding.

David is a co-founder and board member of Artemis Technologies, a global leader in transformative clean maritime solutions based in Belfast, UK. David was instrumental in the creation of the Belfast Maritime Consortium, led by Artemis Technologies, including securing of a £33m grant from UK Research and Innovation’s Strength in Places Fund to develop the company’s transformative eFoiler® technology and launch the world’s first 100% electric foiling passenger ferry. 

David is Chair of Maritime UK’s Regional Council, a member of the UK Department for Transport’s Maritime Council which was established in 2023 to provide the top level of governance across all themes and drive delivery of the UK Government’s Maritime 2050 recommendations, and a member of Operation Zero working groups, a UK government initiative launched during COP26 with the mission to accelerate the adoption of zero-emission vessels for offshore wind operations and maintenance in the North Sea’s wind farms. 

Prior to founding Artemis Technologies, David was Commercial Director at America’s Cup challenger, Artemis Racing.

Dr. Stack was the executive director of the Irish American Heritage Museum in Albany, Nyfor six years before she took up the mantle on Fifth Avenue. Before moving to Albany, she taught Irish and Irish American History and was an Associate Director at Fordham University’s Institute of Irish Studies. She completed her PhD at Fordham, writing about Irish and German immigrants in New York at the turn of the twentieth century, as they grappled with the immigration restriction movements of that time. She has a master’s degree in Anglo-Irish Relations in the 20^th Century from University College Dublin in Ireland.From Listowel, in Co. Kerry, Elizabeth sees a huge connection between her own experience as an immigrant, and the important mission of the Society to preserve and share Irish contributions to American history. “Major areas of interaction between Ireland and America have included diplomacy, economy, education, nationalism, tourism, culture, philanthropy, and the free flow of capital. Continual immigration of our people has given a most significant and lasting link between both countries. We explore all these topics in the Society.”

Harley began her career at CME Group’s Belfast hub working in analytics before moving to Options in 2019 where she has since worked with global financial clients in Belfast, Singapore, Dublin, London, and New York. As an integral member of the Options M&A team throughout several acquisitions Harley spearheaded the market data synergies integration globally. As Director of Data Solutions Harley has made her career from pushing the boundaries to optimize and innovate the Options product offering and processes in a quest ensure their clients’ stay ahead of the curve with efficient and cutting-edge solutions.

John Walsh was appointed as Chief Executive of Belfast City Council in March 2022, following a 31 year career in Council, most recently holding the position of Director of Legal and Civic Services and City Solicitor. 

John is committed to delivering on Council’s ambitious plans for the city and driving forward the city’s recovery journey post-Covid.

As a member of the Corporate Management Team over the last two local government terms, he is one of the architects of the Belfast Agenda and has played a key role in shaping policies aligned to it as well as the draft Local Development Plan.  

John believes in the power of collaboration to deliver.

Maura Kelly is an advisor, marketing executive, and multiple Emmy award-winning producer, with a passion for social entrepreneurship. She helps creators and organizations develop and launch program initiatives that leverage strategy and creativity, foster partnerships and community engagement.

Active in Irish diaspora initiatives, Maura is a Board Director of the American Irish Historical Society, an advisor on the Global Economic Summit 24 (Business Post), and former Director of the LEAP Leadership Program funded by the DFA. 

Her career spans leadership positions in broadcast television at PBS/WNET Group where she built media franchises and helped raise millions for programs and EdTech initiatives – to working with top-tier media companies, like the Jim Henson Co., National Geographic, Tribeca Film Institute – and corporate partners (Toyota, Intel, Cisco) to government agencies (America’s Service Commissions, US Dept of ED, NSF). Her nonprofit work with the Helping Other People Foundation includes field trips to Ethiopia and Peru to evaluate grantee programs. Maura was born in Killarney, Kerry.

Michael Flannery serves as both a General Partner at Grit Capital Partners, and is the Founder and Managing Partner of Redwood Partners and Redwood Technology Ventures. He focuses on technology investments in marketing technology, Fintech, and e-commerce. Some of his current investments include iFundWomen, Dubset, Alef, Measurence, and Jackpocket.

For over 20 years, Michael has advised global entrepreneurs, corporate executives and venture capitalists on strategic growth, talent strategy and executive search. Redwood Partners uses rich data and look alike success modeling to target and select talent for boards and executive operating roles. Since 2000, Redwood has operated an accelerator and has been successful making direct investments in seed-stage companies to compliment its deep experience in talent and venture development.

Michael is dedicated to the growth and acceleration of women entrepreneurs, and currently serves on the board of iFundWomen and the Female Entrepreneurs Fund. Michael is an alumnus and past Trustee of Cazenovia College. He splits time between New York City and Saratoga, NY where he resides with his wife and two children.

West Belfast Man Michael Morris is a 30 year veteran working in the Irish whiskey business and is currently International Sales Director of Hinch Distillery in County Down. A married man and graduate of Queens University Belfast, Michael has worked with Irish Distillers Group , Cooley Distillery and Niche Drinks before taking up his position to help develop a global strategy for Hinch Irish Whiskey which is now producing over 1 million Ltrs of Single Malt Spirit in its state of the art distillery in the outskirts of Belfast

Sara joined KPMG’s Tax Practice in 2006 and has over 16 years of experience advising clients on corporate tax matters with a focus on mergers and acquisitions tax. She works across a number of sectors but has particular expertise in the renewables sector.

Thomas P. DiNapoli is the 54th Comptroller of the State of New York. A life-long Long Islander, Tom was raised in a middle-class, union household and saw the value of hard work and stretching every dollar in the example set by his parents.

In 1972, Tom won his first election and served as a trustee on the Mineola Board of Education, becoming the first 18-year-old in New York State to hold public office. He attended Hofstra University, earning a bachelor’s degree in history and graduated magna cum laude in 1976. He worked in the telecommunications industry for 10 years, and went to night classes and earned a master’s degree from The New School University’s Graduate School of Management and Urban Professions.

In 1986, he ran for the New York State Assembly and was elected to represent the 16th District in northwestern Nassau County for the next 20 years. Tom was elected State Comptroller on Feb. 7, 2007 by a bipartisan majority of the State Legislature. He was elected Comptroller by New York’s voters in 2010 and re-elected in 2014. Tom is known for his integrity, independence and even-keeled leadership.

His record of accomplishments include identifying billions in waste, fraud and cost savings in government, uncovering corruption in State and local governments, leading to dozens of arrests and tens of millions in restitution, providing robust oversight of school district operations and education spending, successfully advocating for State law changes to increase oversight of special education contractors after widespread abuse was found, developing an early warning system to identify municipalities and school districts showing signs of fiscal stress, managing the third largest public pension fund in the nation through difficult losses during the Great Recession, reformed how it operates and received high praise for industry leading standards, investing nearly $2 billion in private equity and loan programs to benefit New York-based businesses and provide a return to the State pension fund, earning a reputation as one of the leading shareholder voices on many corporate concerns including environmental issues and corporate political spending, opening up government spending on his transparency website Open Book New York, leading the fight for prudent fiscal and procurement reforms to help New York change how it does business and put it on better fiscal footing, and streamlining claims process for individuals to recover lost money. Returned $424 million in unclaimed funds to owners in State Fiscal Year 2016-2017.